Is GTA III underrated/forgotten?

[Menegrothx]

Do you think that GTA 3 deserves more attention? GTA Vice City and San Andreas get alot of praise online but you rarely see people talking about 3. I personally played GTA 2, VC and SA when they were new and I never really got into 3 when I later on bought it. It's weird, considering how it was such a ground breaking game at the time, VC and SA just added more things to do while 3 created the foundation for the 3D open world experience. Even though when compared to San Andreas, both 3 and VC seem to have the same problem (lack of variety in the long run), it seems like Vice City is a lot more enjoyable experience because of the great 1980s theme and soundtrack and the story. San Andreas really upped the ante in the sand box department but fell short in the story I think.

So what do you guys think of GTA 3? How's the story? I never really got far in it, should I give it another try?

[MrPopo]

3 was a good foundation but it had a lot of really bad level design. Additionally, as I recall your character was essentially voiceless and just did everything he was told. You'd go into mission area, guy says "I need you to whack Jimmy the Snitch", you nod and walk off, mission starts. You never reacted to anything.

[Konacha]

GTA III was my first GTA to begin with. My best friend brought the game (who was living with us at the time due to his house catching on fire) and it was fun, at the time it was different in that you felt like you could do anything. However, the main character was voiceless and the story was ok. The later games really improved on the design and I felt that GTA III has not stood the test of time as the others have.

[MrPopo]

GTA III was my first GTA to begin with. My best friend brought the game (who was living with us at the time due to his house catching on fire) and it was fun, at the time it was different in that you felt like you could do anything. However, the main character was voiceless and the story was ok. The later games really improved on the design and I felt that GTA III has not stood the test of time as the others have.

I also feel that effectively locking off the first area when you get to the second area was a terrible design decision.

[ZeroAX]

I also feel that effectively locking off the first area when you get to the second area was a terrible design decision.

yeah, fucking Mafia shotguns. They'd blow up my car in seconds.

Well other than very bad character models and animation, I don't think the game has aged badly.

But the mission structure? argh. I don't know how many times I failed missions cause of factors that were beyond my control.

Also, you could only get out of the car only when it had stopped, so your vehicle would catch fire and you'd press the break and slam F hoping your character will get out of the car in time.

The story was bland and the characters weren't memorable (no amazing performances like VC and SA either)


I think it was a GREAT game for its time, reason enough to buy a PS2 imo (thank god for the PC ports ), but the sequels just did everything so much better. It's like this is the Megaman to Megaman 2 and 3. Or Castlevania to CV 3 and Super CV 4. It's good, but simply too much improved on by the sequels. I played through this game like 4 times before VC came out, and only once after I played VC (when I was trying to do a GTA marathon).

Once you play the other games you can't go back. If you want to explore LC anyway, try Liberty City Stories for the PSP and PS2, which has some important gameplay improvements from the sequels (like getting out of the car while it is still moving)

[RyaNtheSlayA]

It just hasn't aged nearly as well. As has been said, it was a good foundation, but, licensed music, better graphics and art style, better writing, and game mechanics found in the later games just make playing three quite a bit less fun.

I doubt anything will top GTA VC for me though.

[BurningDoom]

I like GTA III a lot. I like it better than San Andreas, because I just can't connect with the subject matter in San Andreas. But I do feel that Vice City was much better than GTA III.

[Damm64]

The killer for me was the character, if i can't connect with him the game is boring... "Hey kill al these people in that house" and the character as a robot goes and complete's the mission showing no emotion at all.

I played the game AFTER VC and San Andreas and it is true, once you play the new ones you can't go back.

I'm having this same feeling with LB stories, yeah the character has a personallity but not as strong as the protagonist's of the other games, he still goes and do everything his boss tell him to do. Also i think i don't like too much Liberty City at all (talking about the city itself not the game).

The game as a sandbox is still fun, driving around and destroying things.

[johnnyonthespot]

We live in an age where new game design is looked down upon until it is a proven winner. GTA III was just that. A new game design from a lesser known company that took a chance on one of their few franchises and it took off.

When the sequels started to be released, VC and SA, they were just GTA 3 with little updates. It's like Lucas stating "This is what I wanted Star Wars to be but we didn't have the technology." Which is completely wrong. GTA 3 was exactly what they wanted it to be until everyone else told them what they wanted instead. Which, in turn, gave us GTA 4.

GTA 3 is a great game and with all of the advances on the same structure it's hard to go back to the original and say how great it was especially when the sequels did some things better.

But, the gang stuff was pretty cool in SA.

[Menegrothx]

Since we are on the subject, do you think that the 2D GTA games are overlooked/underappreciated?

I like GTA III a lot. I like it better than San Andreas, because I just can't connect with the subject matter in San Andreas. But I do feel that Vice City was much better than GTA III.

It's ages since I last played San Andreas, but wasnt the ending sort of anti-climactic? Like after you went through the rural stage, San Fierro and Las Venturas quests, you returned back to Grove Street after you killed officer Tenpenny. I mean GTA VC and VC stories were both like Scarface, building yourself a criminal empire. If my memory indeed does not fail me, you pretty much returned to ghetto lifestyle after everything you accomplished in San Andreas.
The final quest in San Andreas was really epic though I've got to admit.